ArcOver: Tattletail
by Fable Writeworth
Summary: There's only 5 more day until Christmas for the Sakaki Family. However, strange things keep happening at night. The young Sakaki Brothers begin to realize that someone or something might be wondering their house at night. Something much more darker than just a monster in the basement.
1. Night 1 PM: 5 Days Until Christmas

**Angelina:** "Finally! Today is the day we finish ArcOver Tattletail!"

 **Yugo:** "I thought it was called-"

 **Angelina:** "No it wasn't. Shut up. Anyway! There's just one last thing we need to do before we can really get things in motion?"

 **Yuri:** "And that would be?"

 **(Angelina grabs a bucket that was filled with what looked like water and threw it on Yugo and Yuri.)**

 **Yuri:** "Ahh! What the hell?!"

 **Yugo:** "Angel! I already took my bath!"

 **Angelina:** "Oh, I know."

 **(Angelina grabs a second bucket.)**

 **Angelina:** "Yuya! Yuto! Can you guys come here for a second?!"

 **(Yuya and Yuto appear around the corner, holding their scripts.)**

 **Yuya:** "What's up, Angel? Me and Yuto were just going over our lines for the-"

 **(Angelina throws the bucket of water on them.)**

 **Yuto:** "Umm...okay then..."

 **(Yuto wipes the water from his face.)**

 **Yuya:** "Good thing we got extra copies."

 **(He sighs as he throws his wet script into the trash along with Yuya's.)**

 **Yuri:** "Is there any point to this? Or are you just getting a kick out of throwing water on people?"

 **Yugo:** "Umm...guys? Does Angel look...taller to you?"

 **Yuto:** "What? Yugo, what are you...?"

 **(The boys froze when they saw Yugo. He had shrink! It looked to be half his size.)**

 **Yuya:** "Yugo! What happen?!"

 **Yugo:** "You think I know?!"

 **Angelina:** "Everyone, calm down. I just threw a little Youth Water on you."

 **Yuto:** "Youth Water?"

 **Angelina:** "Yeah. From the Fountain of Youth. In the play you guys are suppose to look a lot younger so I came up with a solution for that."

 **Yuri:** "By literally making us younger?"

 **Angelina:** "Great plan, right? Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find the Bracelet Girls."

 **(Angelina picks up another pair of buckets and leaves. Yugo looks back at the others to see that the Youth Water had finally taken effect on them as well. At that moment, Fable, Zarc, and Ray walk in.)**

 **Zarc:** "Hey, are we ready to start or...what the hell happen to you?"

 **Yuya / Yuto / Yugo / Yuri:** "Angel..."

 **Zarc:** "Figures..."

 **Ray:** "Awwww! You all look so adorable! Even Yuri!"

 **Yuri:** "I did not agree to this!"

 **Yuya:** "As...weird as this is, we should probably get started. This Youth Water does wear off after some time, right Fable?"

 **Fable:** "Uhh..."

 **Yuto:** "Fable, Yuya is right...right?"

 **Fable:** "Youth Water is a strange thing..."

 **(Fable laughs uneasily.)**

 **Yugo:** "What do you mean?"

 **Yuri:** "Explain yourself."

 **Fable:** "O-Oh! Curtain's rising! Zarc, you're up!"

* * *

 **December 20th**

 **~5 Days Before Christmas~**

It was late in the Sakaki's household, almost midnight. The boys had been put to bed and the only one who was left awake was the eldest brother, Zarc. He was busy setting presents down in the basement. The gifts were from Ray Akaba, a close friend of his's. He would have put the presents under the tree like what you're supposed to do during Christmas time, but since he was five days early he decided to hide them in the basement. Zarc was still getting to know his younger brothers but he knew that at least one of them had an impatient streak.

With the presents hiding down here, the boys were less likely to see them and be tempted to open them. Once Zarc got the last present tucked away on the old wooden table in the back room he turned to leave. He quietly walked through the musky basement, flick off the light switch, went up the creaky stairs, and shut the door behind him when he reached the top. The house was dark and nearly dead silent. The only sounds were of Zarc's feet on the wooden floor and the tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the living room. Zarc went up another flight of stairs to the second floor. His room was the last door on the left hallway.

Connected to his room was his own private bathroom. Before changing into his sleepwear for the night Zarc went into his medicine cabinet and took down a pill bottle. He opened it up and pulled a small white pill from it. He sighed but swallowed it down anyway. Ever since the death of his parents, Zarc had been having trouble sleeping. His doctor had given him sleeping medication to help him, although he wasn't much too fond of it.

The only reason he took it was because of Ray, who kept on insisting that he does what the doctor has ordered, and for the sake of his brothers. Zarc ran a hand through his hair as he thought about his four 'brothers' that he didn't know existed until just a few months ago. You see, Zarc was a famous pro duelist. He started traveling the world just last year. However, apparently, while Zarc was traveling, his parents, Yusho and Yoko had adopted 4 orphan boys.

They never said anything to him, wanting to surprise him when he returned home, but that didn't end up happening.

There was a car accident. A truck had hit their car dead on. Yuya, the youngest of the 4, was spared from the accident, having been staying after school with his theater club. Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri have all been in the backseat, but aside from some minor injuries, they were fine. Their parents had received the worst of it. They didn't survive due to their injuries.

It was a lot for Zarc to take in. His parents were suddenly dead and since he was the oldest sibling the responsibility fell on him to take care of his new brothers. If it wasn't for Ray and her family, Zarc doesn't know what he would have done.

Zarc got dressed in his nightwear and once that was done he crawled into bed. Before shutting off the lights, Zarc opens the drawer in the side table where his duel deck is. Zarc wasn't just known as a professional duelist for his skills. He was also known for his ability to speak to his duel monsters.

Connect to his deck more than just on a physical level. A lot of people didn't believe that he could hear his duel monsters but Zarc didn't pay them any mind. His deck was like a second family to him.

"Night guys. I'll see you all in the morning." Zarc smiles as his monsters gave him their own good nights. He shuts the drawer and turns off the lights. In a week Christmas will be upon them. This would be Zarc's first Christmas with his 4 brothers but also his first Christmas without his parents.

 _"I wonder how this week is going to turn out?"_ Zarc thought as he closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** During my...I guess we'll call it 'break', I rewrote 'Let's Play: Tattletail' into 'ArcOver Tattletail'. The ending is different from the one I had plan originally. So to make it easier on everyone, including myself, I'm just gonna post the whole story. This story has been long overdue.

The chapters I posted already (Chapters 1 - 4) I don't think have much changes, but it wouldn't hurt to reread them.


	2. Night 1 AM: Strange Night

**December 20th**

 **~5 Days Before Christmas~**

The Sakaki boy smirks as he watched Zarc climbed the stairs to the second floor. Even though it was very unlikely he would be spotted the boy stayed put in his hiding spot, straining his ears to catch the sound of a door clicking shut. When he did he waited a few more extra minutes just to be on the safe side. Finally, the boy slowly eased his way out from behind the couch and crept up to the basement door.

 _"This is my most brilliant plan yet."_ The boy thought to himself. The boy was Yugo Sakaki, the third oldest of the Sakaki siblings. With calculated slowness that he wasn't known for, Yugo turned the knob and pulled open the door, taking great care to not let it creak. He descended down into the basement, holding onto the railing and taking each step carefully until he was at the bottom.

Once his bare feet touched the cement floor Yugo's hand reached out and flicked on the light switch. The bulb illumined some of the room, leaving just the corners completely shrouded in darkness. Now normally the basement would freak Yugo out a little, but his excitement to see his present vastly outweighed his fear. It took him a minute, but he finally found the table where Zarc had hidden the presents.

Oh, he tried. He would give him points for efforts, but no one could keep presents hidden from Yugo, the grand master of gift finding! On the table were four individually wrapped presents, each a different Christmas-theme. On the tags Yugo found that his's was the light blue present with white snowflakes on the wrapping paper. He cracked his knuckles dramatically before cautiously opening the lid like it was a booby trap. Once the lid was off Yugo set it to the side and pulled out his gift.

He couldn't believe it.

Zarc had gotten him a Talking Tattletail! Talking Tattletails were Furby-like toys that were like pets. You could feed them, brush them, play with them, and they reacted to other Tattletails. These toys have been the talk of the school since the first commercial came out. Every kid was asking their parents for one. Grinning excitedly, Yugo wonder if he could take it out of its box to play with it, even just for a little while. Yugo was pleased to find that opening the box was as simple as just pulling open the top and taking out the toy.

Now Tattletails came in many different colors and Yugo was more than thrilled to find out that his Tattletail was the very rare, white Tattletail. Yugo heard some kids say that there was only one white Tattletail in the world and he had it! As Yugo was admiring his toy, it suddenly began talking.

"You're in bigggg trouble." The toy spoke. A bit confused and rightfully startled, Yugo set the toy down on the table.

 _"How did the toy turn on?"_ Yugo thought to himself. _"I thought they didn't come with batteries?"_ Yugo reached further into the Tattletail box and felt his hand closed around something small, round, and plastic. He pulled it out to see that it was Tattletail's Well Meter. There were 3 colored bars on the compass shaped toy.

The first bar was green with the word - Battery next to it. The bar below it was colored red and had the word - Feed. The last bar was blue and had the word - Groom. The top and bottom bars appeared to still be full, but the middle bar, the Feed bar, was dangerously low. Each Tattletail came with a Well Meter. It showed the needs of your Tattletail so you knew when and how to care for it.

"Give me a treat!"

Yugo jumped at the shouting and it took a few seconds to realize that it was his Tattletail.

"Give me a treat! Give me a treat!" It repeated with no signs of stopping. Yugo grabbed the toy and looked everywhere for a possible way to turn it off, but there was none. The Tattletail's cries echoed off the walls of the basement. He was gonna get caught if he didn't do something soon! Yugo's eyes spotted Tattletail's Well Meter. The Feed bar was completely empty and the words were blinking red.

Thinking fast, Yugo grabbed the toy and its Well Meter before hurrying up the steps. He ran into the kitchen, his child brain going for the one quick snack Zarc always gave them when they were hungry - Crackers. Yugo flung open the cabinets and reached for the blue box of Wellington's Crackers that were on the second shelf. He opened it and shoved one of the crackers into the toy's mouth.

Crumbs went everywhere but the Tattletail ate it up, its robotic mouth moving up and down. Once it had stop moving the endless chatter had ceased. Yugo strained his ears, but all remained quiet. He let out a sigh of relief. No one had woken up.

Yugo let out a yawn and picked up the toy and meter, ready to go back downstairs when he noticed that the Feed bar was now full, but the Groom bar was shrinking fairly quickly.

With little time to spare Yugo climbed up the stairs to the second floor, trying to move as slow but also as quick as possible. When he reached the top, he tip toe down the hall to the bathroom. In the darkness he reached for his brush that he knew he left on the sink and ran it through the back of the Tattletails' fur. Yugo's frantic heartbeat began to ease as he watched the blue bar steadily climb back up. Once it was full, Yugo set his brush back down and briskly made his way back down to the basement.

"Yawwwwn. Me tired." The Tattletail yawned.

 _"You said it."_ Yugo thought as he reached the bottom of the basement steps. As he was walking, the light bulb suddenly flickered before going out completely. As Yugo's eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, his Tattletail began shaking. Like...it was cold...or afraid.

"It's dark!" It cried. Yugo calmed himself. The lights were old and this wouldn't be the first time it has done this. A few seconds later, the light flickers back on and the Tattletail stops shaking. Not wanting to be down here any longer, Yugo wrapped the Tattletail with its Well Meter back up, not caring that it was still technically on.

 _"It would probably shut down on its own."_ Yugo thought logically. _"Or the battery would drain itself out."_ Yugo pushed his present back into place with the others and rushed up the stairs, his feet freezing. If he had been paying more attention, he would have noticed that the other presents for his brothers weren't exactly in the same spot as before.

Once he had shut the door the home phone on the wall that was in the kitchen began ringing. Still tired, Yugo reached up on his tippy toes and grabbed the phone off its holder. Now Zarc had a rule about them answering the phone if they didn't know the number but honestly, Yugo was too tired to care.

"Hello?" Yugo jerked the phone away from his ear as harsh static filled the other end followed by...some more Ra awful noise that he couldn't describe. Fearful, Yugo hung up the phone not even bothering to make out anything else from the call. Maybe Zarc's rule wasn't as stupid as Yugo first thought.

This night was super strange.

Now a bit wider awake, Yugo was about to go up to his room when he noticed that the house seem a lot colder than usual. Then he heard it.

The wind.

Yugo looked further down the hall to see that the front door was wide open.

* * *

Zarc was awoken by Yugo that night, crying about something with their phone. Thinking that it was probably just a nightmare, Zarc was about to tell Yugo to just go back to sleep when he shouted -

"And the front door was open!" Now this jolted Zarc awake.

"It's what?!" He asked, his heart pounding.

"It's open! I saw it." Yugo whimpered through his tears. Wiping the sleep from his eyes Zarc stood up. Grabbing his phone he went to check on his other brothers first.

Yuto was curled up in a ball in his bed, his headphones plug into his phone that was currently playing rain sounds. Like Zarc, he had trouble sleeping since the accident, but instead of taking medication Yuto found more comfort in therapeutic rain noises.

Yuri was also still asleep in his room, his hands folded peacefully on his chest as he slept on his back. On a table next to Yuri's desk his pet corn snake, Fangs stirred. He eyed the two intruders for a moment before curling back onto his rock. Zarc has no idea why their parents allowed Yuri to keep a snake in the house, but he did his research and corn snakes were non-venomous, had a docile nature, and were easy to take care of so he let it be.

In Yuya's room, Yuya was mumbling softly in his sleep, his arms tightly wound around a stuffed Hip Hippo toy. Seeing that all the boys were okay, Zarc checked the rest of the second floor. There was no intruder. Zarc told Yugo to stay on the second floor unless he called for him. Yugo nods, gripping the banister of the railing tightly.

Zarc scope out the hallway and kitchen, but found nothing. He could see that the front door was indeed open, just halfway now. The wind was howling which blew some of the snow from the porch inside. Zarc stuck his head out, but it had been snowing heavily for the past couple of hours so any footprints were lost. He shuts the door and locks it, running a hand through his hair.

It didn't look like someone had force their way in. Did he forget to lock the door before going to bed? He checked the rest of the house, looking through every nook and cranny he could find. He even looked through all the closets, cabinets, and the basement to make sure that was no place anyone could hide. The last thing Zarc checked was the sliding door that went out to their wooden patio and backyard.

Zarc wiped the fog from the window and flicked on the porch light. He peered out, but saw nothing but their snow filled yard. He gave the door a tug. It was still firmly lock.

 _"Maybe I didn't shut the door all the way when I came in and the wind blew it open. Or at least, if someone did try to break in, they decided not too and left. Regardless, I should change those locks now."_ Zarc thought to himself as he went back up the stairs. Yugo was still where he had left him.

"D-did you find them?"

"No. I think the wind just blew the door open is all. Nothing to worry about, Yugo." Zarc answered. But Yugo continued to stare up at Zarc, eyes wide with fear and insecurity. "Yugo, I promise you. I've checked everywhere. There's nobody here but us."

"B-but the p-phone..and the door! I-I..." Yugo was unable to finish his sentence, his tears coming down full force now. Zarc wasn't sure what to do. He never had to deal with a crying child before! Then he remembered something Ray told him.

* * *

 _"Zarc, I need you to understand that you're not just a guardian to these boys. They're going to look up to you not just for physical support, but emotional and spiritual as well. This world can be a cruel and ruthless place at times and through those times, especially now, they need someone they know they can depend on. I know you didn't ask for this, but truthfully you are the only one these boys can lean against now."_

* * *

Zarc dug deep into his own childhood memories, remembering exactly what Yusho and Yoko did for him when he was scared or didn't want to sleep at night.

"Hey, it's okay, b-buddy. You...you can sleep in my room for the night." Relief swamp through Zarc as Yugo's tense shoulders relaxed and he wiped away his tears with his arm.

"O-okay." He sniffed. Yugo followed Zarc to his room where he immediately climbs onto the king size bed and dives under the sheets, sighing into the pillow. Feeling drowsy himself, Zarc also got back into bed and laid down. Although they were sleeping on opposite sides of the large bed, Zarc could still sense Yugo, his breathing evening out into sleep quite quickly.

It took awhile for Zarc to get use to the feeling, after all, he never had to share his bed before. But eventually he too fell asleep.


	3. Night 2: Imagination or Real Life?

**December 21st**

 **~4 Days Before Christmas~**

Zarc was just about to turn in for the night when he heard a soft knock on his door. Confused, Zarc open his door to see Yugo standing there.

"Yugo?"

"Z-Zarc? I...I don't want to sleep on my own. Could I sleep in your bed again?" Yugo asked, staring up at him with pleading eyes. Zarc wouldn't have been able to say no to that face even if he wanted too.

"Alright, Yugo."

* * *

Yuya Sakaki, the youngest of the Sakaki siblings was awoken by an odd sound. The young boy sat up in his bed, trying to figure out what the sound was. Was it...growling? They didn't have any dogs. Did they? Confused, but also curious, Yuya got out of bed, leaving his hippo friend on the blankets. He cracked open his door and listened.

Yup. That was growling he was hearing. At first, Yuya thought it was the television downstairs. Since they didn't have any pets, aside from Fangs who was a snake, the growling noise had to be coming from the TV or stereo. However, when Yuya went downstairs to check it out, nothing was turned on. In fact, the growling noise...was coming from the basement.

Being as young as he was, the only conclusion Yuya's brain would come up with was there was a monster in the basement. But that couldn't be right either. Yuto told him so. There was no such thing as monsters. Sylvio's stories were just made up.

There were no monsters. Monsters weren't real. They will never be real.

Yuya jumps as the growling returns, but this time Yuya swears he can hear two of them. Shaking, Yuya ran back upstairs, straight to Yuto's room. Inside, Yuto is asleep with his headphones plugged in. Yuya shakes his brother awake causing Yuto to sit up, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Y-Yuya?" Yuto questions sleepily. He pulls out his headphones and turns on his lamp light. "Yuya, what are you doing up? Is something wrong?" Yuya bites back a whimper as he tries to explain to Yuto what he had heard.

"T-There's monsters in the basement, Yuto! I-I know there is! I heard them!" Yuya cries, while rubbing the tears off his cheeks. Yuto lets out a sigh.

"Yuya, you know Sylvio's stories aren't real-"

"This isn't a story, Yuto! I heard it!" Yuya cried louder. Yuto knew that Yuya can be quite gullible when it came to certain stories. He was just going to have to prove to him that Sylvio was wrong...again. Getting out of bed, Yuto slips on his slippers.

"Come on. Show me where you heard the noise." Yuto said calmly. Still sniffling, Yuya took Yuto's hand and showed his brother to the basement door. Of course it would be in the basement. Yuto waited at the top with Yuya and listened, but there was no sound. "See, Yuya? Nothing is down there."

"But...but I heard it!" Yuya whimpered.

"Yuya, I can prove to you that there is nothing down here. Look." Taking Yuya's hand Yuto descended further into the basement even though Yuya protested. When they got to the light switch Yuto flicked it on and gestured at the room, walking around. "Nothing but cardboard boxes, cobwebs, and dust down here. Just like I showed you last time."

Suddenly, something shatters on the ground, causing both boys to jump. Yuya buries his face into his brother's side terrified. Yuto looks around, trying to figure out where the noise had came from until he finally spots the shatter remains of a white vase in front of the old washing machine. Swallowing nervously, Yuto slowly moved his eyes up only to be met by two pairs of non-blinking robotic eyes.

Yuto knew these toys from the commercials he sees on TV all the time. They were called Tattletail, a robotic toy pet that lots of kids wanted. Since when did they have Tattletail toys? And since when did Tattletail come in black or red? Yuto knew the toys only came in blue, yellow, and the most common, purple. The situation gets much more scary and confusing as the toys start talking.

"Hehehe!" The red one laughed. "Uh oh! Uh oh!" The black one joins in on the creepy chanting.

"Y-Yuto?" Yuya is tugging on his shirt now, getting him to start backing up towards the staircase. As the two boys are backing up, the Tattletails' voices are getting lower and lower, making their voices sound more demonic in tone. Just as they are halfway to the stairs, the light in the basement flickered off, leaving them in total darkness. The chanting had stop though.

"Yuya. Yuya, it's okay." Yuto hushed as he turned to face his petrified younger brother. "Th-the lights just went out is all. The lights-" Yuto then feels something breathe on his neck. Hot and heavy followed by a growl.

Yuya screams and Yuto is shoving him ahead towards the staircase. The two of them race up the stairs, but just before they reach the top Yuto manage to look back behind him to see two glowing orbs in the darkness, one red and the other green.

When they get to the top, Yuto slams the door shut, breathing heavily.

"Yuto? Yuya?" They both jump at the voice, but it turns out that the voice belongs to their brother, Zarc. He was standing at the bottom of the staircase, looking at them with mild confusion. Standing behind him is Yugo, their other brother. "What are you two doing up at this hour?" Without so much as a word the two threw themselves into Zarc's arms, sobbing. Zarc was staring down at them in shock now, trying to comfort them but unsure of how to do it.

"I knew I heard someone scream! Guys, what happen?" Yugo asked, concerned. Yuya and Yuto tried to explain what had happen, but they were so terrify that they couldn't speak properly. Finally giving up, Zarc gently pushed Yuya towards the staircase.

"Yugo, take Yuya upstairs to my room. We'll be there in a moment. I gotta talk with Yuto." Yugo nods, taking his younger brother's hand and pulling him up the stairs. Zarc stays with Yuto, a comforting hand on his shoulder, until the boy had finally calmed down enough to speak.

"Yuto, tell me what happen."

"T-there was something in the basement. I-...Yuya woke me up, saying that he heard something in the basement. I-I thought that it was just his imagination, especially since Sylvio likes to tell him stories at school."

"Sylvio?"

"A bully. He picks on Yuya a lot when we're not around." Yuto explained, wiping his tears. "S-so I took Yuya down to the basement to show him that there was nothing there and then this vase broke and we...we saw those toys and they started acting really creepy a-and then the lights went out and I felt something behind me. I-I didn't know what it was, Zarc! Something is down there!" Yuto looked close to crying again and Zarc does his best to comfort him.

"Alright, Yuto. Go upstairs with your brothers. I'll check things out down here."

"A-are you sure?"

"I'll be fine, Yuto. Go upstairs." Yuto does listen, going up the stairs but not before casting one last glance over at Zarc and disappearing down the hallway. Zarc goes into the kitchen and grabs a broom and dustpan. The light is back on in the basement when Zarc goes down. He spots the remains of the vase Yuto had told him about, but there were no 'creepy toys' or anything that Zarc could find that would have scared them so much.

Zarc sweeps up the mess, thinking that perhaps Yuto and Yuya had just imagine the whole thing. Even though Yuto is the oldest of the group aside from Zarc himself, he was only 7 years old. Yuya was 5 so of course imagining some giant scary basement creature wasn't too hard for them. Once he had cleaned up the mess, Zarc went back upstairs and dump the vase shards. As he was putting away the broom, a loud knock sounded at the door.

Zarc looked at the clock. It was nearly 3 in the morning. Who could be at the door this late? Zarc started toward the door. The closer he got to it, the more rapid the knocks came. Now of course, Zarc didn't blame whoever was at the door for knocking like crazy. It was the middle of winter, snowing quite heavily so it was pretty cold outside. But did they have to knock so heavily? It was almost like they were trying to break down the door.

Before answering, Zarc looked out the peephole to see who was on the other side. To his disbelief, he saw nothing. Not even footprints on the porch or pathway. Slowly, Zarc undid the locks before opening the door just a crack, but a crack was all the wind needed to blow its way inside.

Zarc was completely taken aback as a huge gust of wind suddenly blew in, chilling him to the very bone. He actively had to struggle to close the door and lock it. When the door was finally shut and locked, Zarc took a few steps back, a hand to his forehead. Never before had he felt a wind that strong before. The weather channel never said anything about winds like that. Maybe he had miss that part.

Writing it off as nothing Zarc went back to his room without incident, thinking that he was just tired.

"Alright, boys, how about we-" Zarc paused mid-sentence, seeing the scene before him. Yugo was fast asleep in the same position he was last night, but now Yuya was asleep next to him, his Hip Hippo toy in his arms between them. Yuto was also fast asleep in the middle of the bed. _"I guess he didn't need his music as much as he thought."_ Zarc thought as he shut off the lights. He's thankful for the size of the bed as he goes to laid down on his side.

Zarc stays up for a little while longer, listening to the soft breathing and snores of his younger brothers beside him. He doesn't understand why, but for some reason he finds comfort in these sounds. Eventually, Zarc does fall asleep.

* * *

Downstairs, the basement door slowly creaks open.

And then slowly creaks shut.


	4. Night 3: Don't Acknowledge It

**December 22nd**

 **~3 Days Before Christmas~**

It happen again the next night.

Zarc was getting ready for bed when there was knock on his door.

He opened it not only to see Yugo, but also Yuya and Yuto.

"Can't sleep on your own?" He asks.

All three of them nodded their heads.

"Alright. 1 more night." Is all Zarc says.

* * *

Yuri was awoke by a crash in the night. He sat up straight in his bed and listened quietly, his mind still shrouded in the sluggishness of sleep. The crash wasn't followed by a string of curse words, signaling to Yuri that it wasn't Zarc. It couldn't be Yugo either since he most certainly would had made a fuss if he had spilled something. So it either had to be Yuto or Yuya.

Deciding halfheartedly that he should go and check to make sure whoever the culprit was was alright Yuri got out of his warm bed and headed downstairs, holding onto the railing. Surprisingly, there was no lights on in the kitchen or, anywhere for that matter, to show that someone was up. Yuri went straight to the kitchen and flicked on the lights.

The bright light hurt Yuri's eyes for a moment, but when he was able to see clearly again he was more than annoyed when he saw that the crash had came from their trash can and most of its contents were all over the floor. No one was in the kitchen so Yuri knew that whoever had caused the crash had left their mess on the floor. Yuri's guess then immediately changed to Yugo. Yuya and Yuto wouldn't have left the mess on the floor and Zarc wasn't dumb enough to even cause the mess, much less leave it there.

Yuri had half a mind to go up to Yugo's room and drag the boy back downstairs to clean up his mess, but he decided not too and picked up the trash can instead. He was too tired to be bother with Yugo's whining. Maybe he should just leave the mess and go back to bed? Yuri looked back at the mess and shook his head at himself.

No. The mess would only get worse if he leaves it on the floor like this, not to mention the smell. Yuri steps carefully over the garbage and grabs the broom and dustpan that's on the other side of the room. Sweeping up is a bit difficult due to his smaller size, but he manages.

As he is sweeping the trash into a pile, Yuri hears a door creak open. The boy looks up from his work, but no one comes walking into the kitchen. Slowly, Yuri leans to the side to look out the doorway to see that the basement door was now wide open.

Now Yuri knew that the basement door was closed when he came down. The basement door was always shut. For it to be open now would mean someone would have to have opened it. It couldn't have been open from the outside because then Yuri would have heard their footsteps on the wooden floor.

As soon as that conclusion had came to Yuri's mind, the lights in the kitchen suddenly went out. Yuri's grip on the broom tighten immensely. Yuri didn't dare move. He sat there, in the middle of the kitchen, in the dark, trying so hard not to breathe too loudly. At first, everything was dead quiet.

Then...Yuri heard it.

A soft hissing noise. A sort of sound that Yuri would hear his pet make on occasion. But he doesn't move.

The hissing was coming from behind him. It was followed by heavy breathing. With each breath, the tips of Yuri's bangs would sway with it.

Whatever that was behind him wasn't human.

And it most certainly wasn't small.

The broom starts to shake in Yuri's hands. He wants to call out to his brothers, to his family, but he couldn't. Although one of the youngest siblings, Yuri has watched his fair share of horror movies and knew most of the cliches.

Yuri doesn't acknowledge whatever is behind him. Instead he continues his cleaning, although it is at a snail's pace. When he has swept up all the trash Yuri picks up the dustpan and tosses the trash back into the can. Yuri could still hear the creature hissing as he moved but he kept his eyes trained forward.

Do not acknowledge it. Do not show fear. Do not show that you know of its existence. Do not show interest.

Yuri doesn't set the broom back in its original spot. He instead sets it next to the basement door as he exits the kitchen. He grabs a hold of the railing and begins to make his way up the stairs. Just as he is halfway up, he couldn't help but jump as a door suddenly slams shut. He pauses for a moment before risking a glance back.

The basement door was the one that had slammed shut and the lights were back on in the kitchen.

Yuri doesn't go to turn them off. He continues climbing.

He walks past his room and keeps walking straight down the hall till he reaches Zarc's room. He opens the door and shuts it behind him. In the darkness Yuri could just make out the sleeping shapes of his brothers. Yuri counts heads just to make sure.

Yup. All of them were here.

Yuri goes over to the other side of the bed and proceeds to nudge Yugo awake.

"H-huh?" Yugo stirs, blinking sleepily.

"Budge over, Yugo." Is all Yuri says. Now usually, Yugo would question his brother. But maybe it was because he was still tired, or perhaps he can see the silent fear in Yuri's eyes, regardless of the reason, Yugo gently pushes Yuya closer to Yuto. Yuto, sensing the shift, also scoots back providing more room but is too tired to wonder or ask why. Zarc is awaken by the movement of Yuto bumping into his back. Yuri crawls into the warm space Yugo had left and settles down beside his family.

"You okay?" Yugo yawns quietly.

"...Yeah." Zarc sits up, seeing Yuri on the other side of the bed. He knows something had happen to him, but he also knows that Yuri is more closed off than the rest of them. Reaching a hand over the others, Zarc gives Yuri's shoulder a comforting squeeze to let him know he was there.

"We're here for you, Yuri. Don't worry."

"Hmm..." Yuri hums in reply before closing his eyes. Yugo lets out another yawn before also nodding off to sleep. Once Zarc was sure everyone was sleeping peacefully he also settles down and falls back asleep.


	5. Night 4 PM: Sleepover

**December 23rd**

 **~2 Days Before Christmas~**

"Declan, are you 100%..."

"Zarc, do you really think my sister would give you possessed toys?" Zarc takes a sip from his coffee before answering.

"Your father doesn't exactly like me that much."

"My father studies machinery and physics. Not witchcraft, Zarc."

"Alright, I get it." Zarc sighs. "I just...I'm not sure what to do right now."

"If you want my opinion, I say that the boys are making up these stories."

"No, absolutely not. You don't get it, Declan. They are **terrified**. Whatever is going on in the house at night-"

"Zarc, I speak from experience. Your brothers are probably just looking for a way to gain your attention."

"Okay, yeah. That makes sense, but this isn't just one of them. It's all of them. Not to mention that I've been experiencing creepy stuff myself."

"You're overstressed, Zarc. With both your parents gone and now having to take care of 4 adoptive brothers you didn't even know you had until just a few months ago, it's weighing on you. Your mind is just playing tricks on you. Happens to the best of us. It's nothing to be ashamed of, really."

"I don't know, Declan. It just...doesn't feel right." Zarc said as he looked down into his reflection in the coffee. "The house has been feeling...'different' ever since I brought the toys in." Zarc heard Declan let out a loud sigh over the phone.

"Alright Zarc, look. I can't come over today, but I can come over tomorrow and check out the toys. Just to make sure they're not malfunctioning or something."

"Okay, sounds good." Zarc said, a bit relieved.

"Now I gotta go. Ray has made it very clear I must watch the 5 hour Christmas Movies Special on T.V with her and the other girls."

"Aww, Declan, you really do have Christmas spirit!"

"She threaten to throw my laptop off the 2nd floor balcony if I didn't."

"Oh..."

"And before I go, Zarc?"

"Yeah?"

"Get some rest." And Declan hangs up. Zarc stared at the phone for a moment before doing the same.

* * *

It's time for bed. The boys go through their normal routines. Zarc keeps an eye on them and the basement door as they do so. This morning he had taken each boy individually and had talked to them, getting each of their stories from their own mouths.

Zarc wasn't exactly a lie detector but from the way each boy told him their story it seem nearly impossible for all of them to be lying. Not only did Yugo actually admit to sneaking downstairs to play with his gift, which he never would have done if he actually wasn't truly afraid, Yuto nearly broke down into tears after his recounting which was very much a red flag to Zarc.

Yuya and Yugo fake crying? Sometimes. Yuya is an actor and both can be crybabies although they will deny it.

Yuri? If he had too, he will.

But Yuto? No. Yuto was far too strong for that.

It seem that each story was connected to the basement or the Tattletail toys Zarc had bought them. It was why he had called Declan so early in the morning. Ray and Declan were the ones who had suggested and given him the toys that very day. Zarc just had a gut feeling.

A very big gut feeling that was telling him that those toys...weren't right. After making sure the toys were where they were supposed to be and double checking to make sure the house was lock up tight, Zarc went upstairs and called out to the boys just before they were heading to their rooms.

"Hey, boys! How about before bed we watch a few Christmas movies in my room?" Yuya and Yugo immediately jump for joy at the suggestion while Yuto, although not as excited as his younger brothers, smiles gently.

"Oh? You're letting us stay up past our bedtimes? What brought the change?" Yuri asks innocently, even though he knows the answer.

"Well it is only 2 day until Christmas and we haven't really done anything aside from decorate the tree. Besides, you boys are on Christmas Break anyhow. You should have your fun." The boys don't have to be told twice. They rush into his room and by the time Zarc walks in, they almost decided on a movie.

While Zarc was getting ready for bed himself, Yuya walked up to him and asked him quite timidly if he could sleep next to him for the night. Smiling fondly Zarc had no objections to it and neither did Yuto, who actually call dibs on the far side of the bed where Yuri had slept the previous night.

Yuri was more than happy to give up that spot, claiming that he couldn't sleep last night due to the fear of getting kicked off the bed by Yugo, which Yugo heatedly deny he would ever do. Once bed arrangements were sorted out and a movie was chosen the boys all got into bed and snuggle down for the night.

As the movie play, Yuri was the first to nod off, followed by Yuya, Yugo, and shortly afterwards, Yuto. When Zarc is sure they all are asleep, he gets up and shuts down the television and uses the bathroom. As he is leaving the room he spots his sleeping medication in the cabinet. It was then that Zarc realized that he had been forgetting to take his medicine for the past few nights now.

Zarc debated if he should take a pill for the night, but eventually decided not too. He went back to bed, making sure his brothers were all tuck in before settling down to sleep himself.

* * *

Zarc is awoken that night by heavy breathing. Thinking it was one of his brothers, Zarc sat up and glanced to the side. All of them were sleeping peacefully.

His blood turns ice cold as the oldest realizes that the heavy breathing was coming from behind him. Slowly, carefully, Zarc pushed the sheets off of him and shakes the boys awake. When the boys groggily open their eyes, Zarc motions for them to stay silent. Yugo opens his mouth to question him, but then the 'thing' growls and Yugo snaps his mouth shut.

Zarc could pinpoint where the 'thing' was now. It was on his side of the bed, not quite beside him but close enough to make him very uncomfortable. Zarc gestures for them to leave through the other side of the bed which they do hurriedly. Once they are all up, with a nod from Zarc they all move towards the door. Its gaze follows them as they exited the room, but it didn't move to go after them. Zarc shuts the door behind him and turned to the boys.

"Grab your shoes. We're going over to the Akaba's." They all nodded in understanding and went into their respective rooms. Zarc takes one last look at his room before heading downstairs to grab his snow boots which he had left by the front door.

* * *

The drive was almost dead quiet. Nobody knew what to say anymore. Zarc's grip was tight on the steering wheel. Luckily, it had stop snowing yesterday and the streets weren't that bad.

"Please...someone tell me I wasn't the only one who saw it." Yuya finally whimpered from the backseat. Yugo jumped at this.

"You saw it too?! Like...actually saw it?!" Yugo asked, his eyes wide. Yuya nods his head and Yuri just sighs.

"This is so stupid. Monsters aren't real!" He growled.

"Then how do you explain it, Yuri?" Yuto questioned quietly from the passenger seat. "This isn't Solid Vision or special effects. That...that 'thing' was in the room for Ra knows how long, watching us sleep." Another moment of frightful silence.

"...I don't like Christmas anymore." Yuya mumbles quietly. And the others boys agreed.

* * *

Leo and Henriette Akaba were out on a 'romantic' Christmas vacation and wouldn't be back until Christmas Eve. So Ray was the one who had answered the door and was certainly surprised seeing Zarc and the boys, in their pajamas on her doorstep. She quickly invited them in to sit by the fire and get warmed up. As Yuya and the others were sitting in the living room, Zarc followed Ray into the kitchen.

"Zarc, what's going on?" Ray whispered to him as she bustled around the room, making hot chocolate for the unexpected guests.

"Let's just say we're not exactly welcomed in our house anymore." Zarc whispered back as he began to help her. Ray gave him a confused look, but Zarc waved her off. "I'll explain everything tomorrow."

* * *

"You saw it?" Declan questioned. Zarc nods. Both of them were now in the dining room, while Ray was tending to the boys in the living room, keeping them distracted.

"Woke up to it staring down at us." Zarc said, taking a sip from his cup. "And before you say anything, no. I wasn't dreaming and I couldn't have imagine it. Not only that, but the boys saw it as well." Declan raised an eyebrow at that, appearing a bit intrigued now.

"Alright then, so what did this 'monster' look like?" Declan asked, raising his own mug to take a sip.

"It was a large red dragon-like monster with red and green eyes-" Declan does a spit take with his hot chocolate. Zarc stares at his friend for a few minutes before finally letting out a weary sigh. "Shot in the dark, but I'm going to assume you know what I'm talking about." Declan wipes his mouth with a napkin, appearing lost in thought.

"Give me a moment." Declan says, quickly leaving the kitchen. Zarc just hums in reply. Declan returns a moment later with a tablet in hand. "Remember when I told you the Tattletails weren't from me?" Zarc didn't need to be reminded. "That's because me and my father were going to give your brothers a different gift for Christmas. Some unique dueling cards. They were inspired by your Magicians."

"How exactly were they 'inspired'?" Zarc asked.

"We made 4 cards, one for each of your brothers." Declan shows a document on his tablet. Prototypes of the cards. Zarc read through the names quickly.

 **\- Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon**

 **\- Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon**

 **\- Clear Wing Synchro Dragon**

 **\- Starving Venom Fusion Dragon**

"So they're all Dragon-types?" Zarc asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It seem quite fitting." Declan said, adjusting his glasses. "Considering your ace monster, Supreme King Dragon Z-ARC, is also a dragon. We thought that if your brothers also had Dragon-Type ace monsters it would be easier for you all to bond."

"Okay...?"

"Now the dragon that you saw in your room was one of those dragons. Odd-Eyes if I'm not mistaken."

"Of course. And the reason why it's at my house?"

"This is just a speculation, but me and my father did create the dragons with the same date from their Magician counterparts. Perhaps because of their connections, the dragons were just drawn to your home."

"And the Tattletails?"

"Well, let's just say that my sister did in fact give you possessed toys, but not on purpose." Zarc sighed and drowned down the last of his hot chocolate.

"So what do we do now? Perform an exorcism on the toys? Oh, we could even make it Christmas themed! Instead of red paint we could use Christmas lights and for sacrifices, Christmas cookies!" Declan rolled his eyes.

"Hilarious as always, Zarc." Declan shakes his head. "But no. These are duel spirits, not ghosts. Regardless, I don't see the point in dealing with this tonight. We'll let you all sleep here for the night and figure it out in the morning. You didn't bring your deck, did you?"

"No. Why?"

"Well if the dragons are drawn to your Magicians and you left your deck at home then those toy possessing dragons aren't going anywhere."

* * *

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" A loud, obnoxious voice jolted Yuri from his peaceful sleep. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Yuri sat up in his bed, glaring around the room. It took him a moment, but once his eyes adjusted to the darkness who could see that the noise was coming from a toy. A Tattletail toy to be exact.

Annoyed, Yuri shoved away the covers and stood up. He grabbed the purple furred toy, and apparently that's what made it shut up. Muttering under his breath about how childish some people in this house could be, Yuri walked up to his door and threw it open. The hallway was dark and silent, all except one door which was wide open.

That was the room Yugo was suppose to be staying in. Of course he would do this. After all, Yuri couldn't think of anyone else who would have the actual guts to disrupt his sleep. Yuri marched to the room, but it was empty. He wasn't in the bathrooms, but Yuri did find a light coming from downstairs. It was coming from the kitchen and upon entering Yuri saw Yugo by the sink, drinking a cup of water.

"Oh, so you couldn't sleep so you had to wake me up too?" Yuri growled bitterly. Yugo turned to face him, looking confused.

"Huh? Yuri, what are you-?" Yugo choked and drop his cup, causing the water to go everywhere on the floor. Yuri jumped back to avoid the spill.

"Yugo! Seriously?!" Before Yuri could rant his brother rushed forward, ripped the Tattletail from his hands and threw it across the room. "Yugo, what-?!" Yugo grabbed him and pushed him out of the kitchen. Once they were in the living room, Yuri shoved Yugo away from him. "Yugo! What the heck is your problem?!"

"Where did you get that Tattletail?!" Yugo demanded, not even bothering to answer his question.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who put it in my room."

"N-no...Yuri. Yuri, I didn't." Yugo's face was white, his eyes full of fear. Now Yuri wasn't so sure that it was Yugo. "W-we gotta tell Zarc." Yugo rushed to the stairs, dragging Yuri with him but they only manage to get to the second step before Yugo jerks them back. Yuri peered over his shoulder and is absolutely terrified when he sees the purple Tattletail, the same one Yugo had thrown, at the very top looking down at them.

"We're having a party! Come help us!" Yugo shares a look with Yuri. "Tattletail will leave if you do!"

"You...you will? N-no joke?" Yugo asked, shaking.

"Tattletail promise!" They both shared another look.

"Anything if we make this thing leave." Yuri said, getting the same fearful feeling he had when he was in their kitchen that night. Yuri walks up the steps and grabs the toy, but holds it a good ways away from him as if it might bite him. Who knows, the toy probably would.

"Let's go to the basement!" The purple Tattletail suggested cheerfully. Having been at the Akaba's before, Yugo and Yuri both knew where the basement was. They quietly open the door and flicked on the light switch that was at the top of the stairs instead of at the bottom. Their basement were more or less identical aside from the fact that the Akaba's basement was much more crowded than their own.

"Careful!" Yuri hissed as Yugo accidentally bump into a tall stack of boxes. The stack wobble for a heart pounding moment but it didn't tip over, much to their relief. Yuri and Yugo continued to work their way through the dimly lit basement until they reached what they assumed was the center. Unlike the rest of the basement, it was a bit neater with a couple of empty chairs and a bit more room to walk around. However, on one of the chairs was the white Tattletail, Yugo's Tattletail.

Yuri carefully set his Tattletail on the chair next to it.

"More! More! More!" The white Tattletail chimed.

"More friends!" The purple one joined.

"There's more of you in this house?!" Yugo shouted.

"More! More! More!" They responded.

"Come on, Yugo. Let's just...get this over with."


	6. Night 4 AM: Bracelet Party

**December 23rd**

 **~2 Days Before Christmas~**

It didn't take long for Yugo and Yuri to find the other Tattletails. They checked the kitchen and living room and just when they were about to go upstairs, Yuya and Yuto appeared. Each holding their own Tattletails.

"Where's your's?" Yuto asked softly, already knowing why they were awake.

"In the basement." Yugo replied.

"To the basement!" Yuya's red Tattletail shouted, causing young Yuya to jump in fright. Without another word the four returned to the basement. Yuya and Yuto set down their Tattletails down and took a few steps back in case they tried something.

"There's your friends." Yuri muttered. "Can you leave now?"

"Just one more thing!" The black one said.

"What is it?" Yuto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Bracelets! We need decorations! We need bracelets!" The red one sang.

"B-bracelets? We don't have bracelets." Yuya whimpered.

"No, but we do know who does." Yuri pointed out.

"You don't mean-?" Yugo gasped. Yuri nods. Yuto turns back to the possessed toys.

"You're not going to...take them, are you? Or damage them?"

"No! No! No!" The white one said.

"Tattletail just wants decorations!" The purple one adds.

"Al-alright. We'll get them for you. But then, you **have** to leave." Yuto swallowed nervously.

"Tattletail will leave." The black one says. The boys return to the upper floor to discuss their plan of action.

"Are we going to wake up the girls?" Yuya questions.

"And tell them what?" Yugo puts on a fake smile. "Hi girls! Just wondering if we could borrow your bracelets to give to a couple of possessed toys so that they'll leave us alone!" The fake smile drops from Yugo's face. "They'll think we're crazy. They don't even know why we're here in the first place."

"Look, if we do this right then the girls won't even know we took their bracelets. We just need to be quiet and be quick. Get in and get out." Yuto said firmly.

"But isn't stealing against your moral code, Yuto?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah. It was. I also didn't believe in monsters and ghosts last week either and yet here we are." Yuto deadpans.

* * *

The first room is Lulu's. Yuto volunteers to sneak in.

"At least if I get caught, Lulu might be more willing to listen to me." Yuto reasons. The boys watch as their brother quietly sneaks into the room. Yuto tip toes to Lulu's side, where her winged bracelet sat on her nightstand. Carefully, Yuto reaches forward and grabs the bracelet, all the while whispering apologizes under his breath. Lulu doesn't stir as Yuto backs out of the room.

"You got it!" Yuya whispers as Yuri shuts the door.

"Yeah. One down, three more to go." The next room is Rin's. Yuto cracks open the door and pokes his head inside.

"Oh, this is bad." Yuto mumbles as he ducks back out.

"What is it?"

"I can't see her bracelet. It isn't on the nightstand."

"Where could she have put it?" Yuya wonders. Yugo blinks a couple of times as if he had just remember something.

"I think I might know..." Yugo turns away and heads to the nearest bathroom. His brothers follow him. A few seconds later Yugo emerges with Rin's bracelet in hand.

"It was in the bathroom?" Yuri wrinkles his nose as if the bracelet smelled.

"Sometimes Rin would leave her bracelet in the bathroom after a shower or bath. If it wasn't in her room I figured it would be here." Yugo shrugs.

"Well let's not look a gift horse in the mouth." Yuto said, taking the bracelet. "Now we just need Celina's and Zuzu's."

"Oh! I know where Zuzu keeps her bracelet!" Yuya said brightly despite the situation they were in. Yuya went to Zuzu's door and quietly slip inside. The boys watched as Yuya went straight to Zuzu's desk. On her desk were a few simple items but one of them was a brown box. Yuya opened it and immediately a soft tune began to play. Yuya hurriedly shut it, forgetting that Zuzu's music box actually played music.

Unlike Lulu, Zuzu stirred gentle in her sleep and everyone held their breaths as the small girl turned over...

...

...

And went back to sleep. Yuya and the others let out silent sighs of relief. Yuya turned his attention back to the music box, both hands ready now. With one hand he opened the lid and with the other he quickly snatch the bracelet that was inside. The music box barely had enough time to play one note. With the bracelet safe and sound, Yuya sneaks back out to his brothers.

"Awesome, Yuya!" Yugo cheers quietly.

"Thanks." Yuya smiles. "I just hope Zuzu and the girls don't find out we took them. Or who knows how mad they'll be."

"They won't." Yuto assures. "All we need now is Celina's and then we can..." Yuto pauses and looks around, realizing that Yuri was missing from the group. "Uhh...guys? Where's Yuri?" It didn't take them long to find out their answer. Yuri was already entering Celina's room. The boys run after him.

By the time they got to the door, it was too late. Yuri had already flicked on the light switch. The boys watch in horror as Yuri causally strolled into the room and looked around as if he had every right to be there, meanwhile Celina's eyes were squinting against the light. Yuri spotted Celina's bracelet on the dresser and went to grab it.

"Ugh! Who's in here?!" Celina groaned, still half asleep.

"It's me. Me and my brothers are staying over for the night." Yuri replied, much to the shock of the boys. "I'm gonna borrow your bracelet for a minute. I'll bring it back." Celina glanced up from her pillow at Yuri, before returning her covers to her face.

"You better, plant freak. Or we're gonna have problems tomorrow." Celina muttered before falling back asleep.

"Uh-huh." Is all Yuri says before turning off the light and shutting the door. Yuri faced his brothers with a bored expression on his face. "What's with those looks?"

"H-how...how did you-?" Yugo tried to question, but Yuri just shrugs.

"Honestly, you three are making this into a bigger deal than it actually is." Yuri says, handing over the bracelet.

* * *

The boys head back down to the basement where the Tattletails are waiting. They were no longer sitting in their chairs and were instead sitting across from one another in a circle. Each boy placed one bracelet next to their Tattletails. Suddenly, the tiny light in the basement went out, causing Yuya and Yugo to jump.

"T-there! We got you the bracelets!" Yuto shouted, trying to keep his voice steady. "Now leave!"

"Hehe." The toys all giggled. "Okay! Tattletails will leave..."

The boys all breathe out a collected sigh of relief.

.

.

.

 **"WITH YOU!"** The toys scream as the bracelets' gem stones suddenly exploded with a bright light.


	7. Day 5: 1 Day Until Christmas

**December 24th**

 **~Christmas Eve~**

Zarc awoke that morning, surprisingly by himself.

 _"Strange."_ Zarc thought as he slipped on a pair of guest slippers. _"I would have thought Yuya or Yugo would be nagging me awake by now."_ Zarc glanced at the clock to see that it was 9 in the morning. _"But then again...last night..."_ Zarc frowned. The sooner he and Declan took care of 'that' problem, the better.

Zarc went downstairs where some of the other Akaba family members were already awake. Ray was by the stove, cooking breakfast, while Declan was sitting at the table with a cup of freshly brew coffee. Riley sat beside her step brother, nippling quietly on a slice of toast. The other siblings were nowhere to be seen.

"Morning, Zarc. Did you sleep well?" Ray asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." Zarc replies as he sits down at the table. Ray leaves the stove for a moment to pour a cup of coffee. Zarc glanced at her in surprise as she prepare his coffee just the way he likes it, a spoonful of sugar and a bit of milk mixed in. "What's this about?" Zarc asked as Ray handed him the cup.

"An early 'sorry' gift. Declan told me what's been going on at your house." Ray's eyes held an apologetic look in them. "Maybe robotic toys wasn't the best idea..."

"It's fine, Ray. No one knew it was going to happen. However, maybe this experience will teach your brother and father about messing with duel energy." Zarc said with a look at Declan.

"Oh please, it's not like anyone got hurt." Declan said, rolling his eyes. "Say what you will but at the end of the day spirits are just spirits, bound by an entirely different plane of existence. Aside from a few scares, there isn't much they can do to the world of the living."

"I suppose, Declan." Ray sighs as she turns back to her cooking. "But why were those dragons trying to scare the boys anyhow?"

"Who knows. Maybe you both could discuss that with them over a cup of tea." Declan answers, turning back to his laptop. Ray rolled her eyes.

"And we just might do that." Ray adds sarcastically. Much like Zarc, Ray could understand and see duel spirits. It was one of the reasons why Ray was such a great rival to him. Suddenly Zuzu comes running into the kitchen, looking around worriedly.

"Zuzu? Is something wrong?" Ray asked her younger sister.

"I can't find my bracelet! It was in my music box last night! I know it was there! But when I woke up, it was gone!" Zuzu looked close to crying, her eyes filling with tears.

"Oh Zu." Ray sighs softly. "Perhaps you just misplace it. Don't worry. It couldn't have gone far. We'll look for it after breakfast, okay?" Zuzu wipes her eyes, sniffs, and nods. Just as she was sitting down at the table the last of the older siblings, Lulu, enters the kitchen with Rin. Both of them also had the same worried looks as Zuzu.

"Oh, Mr. Zarc? You're here?" Lulu questioned, spotting Zarc. Zuzu looks up, blinking. Now finally realizing that Zarc was here. Zarc smiles.

"Morning girls. You guys were still asleep when me and the boys decided to stop by and spend the night." Rin's eyes widen and she pointed accusingly at him.

"IT WAS THEM!" She shouted.

"Rin, what did we say about shouting in the house before breakfast time?" Declan chided. Rin ignored her older brother.

"I knew I left it in the bathroom!"

"Rin, what are you going on about?" Ray asked. Rin turned to Ray, still pointing at Zarc.

"One of the boys took my bracelet last night! I left it in the bathroom by mistake, but now it isn't there anymore!" Ray, Zarc, and Declan all shared a confused look. After the horror of what the boys have been through last night, did any of them really have the energy to pull a prank on the girls?

"My bracelet is missing as well. From my bedside table." Lulu added, glancing between the adults.

"I'm...I'm sure it was just a harmless prank, girls." Zarc assures as he stands up from the table. "Come on. Let's go get them up for breakfast and get your bracelets back." Zarc, Lulu, Rin, and Zuzu all head back up the stairs where they are greeted by a very annoyed Celina.

"Good morning, Celi-." Lulu greeted, but her sister cut her off.

"Where's Yuri?" She growls.

"Is he...not in his room?"

"If he was I wouldn't be asking you." Celina said bitterly. "Now is he downstairs or what? I know he spent the night here."

"Is your bracelet missing too?" Rin asked. Celina nods, arms crossed.

"That little brat said he was going to give it back to me last night."

"Last night?!" The other girls echo.

"Yeah. Little punk woke me up, said he needed by bracelet, and left."

"Why would you let him take your bracelet?!" Zuzu and Rin exclaims.

"I was tired, okay!" Celina shot back. Zarc, now more confused than ever about his brothers, walks into one of the guest rooms. It was empty. "I already check the guest rooms! None of them are in there!" Celina calls. Zarc nearly goes into panic mode.

 ** _Nearly._**

"H-heh. Come on, boys! Enough hiding!" Zarc calls into house. "You won't get in trouble for the prank! The girls just want their bracelets back!"

"That's right! I swear to Ra, if there is even one scratch on it all of you are going to pay!" Celina shouts.

"Celina, don't be so harsh. You know your shouting always scares Yuya." Lulu hushes.

"Then they shouldn't have taken my things!" Celina counters.

"...Didn't you just say that you let Yuri take your bracelet?" Zuzu deadpans.

"I said he could borrow it!" Celina snaps back.

"They're here! They're over here! Zarc!" Zarc is startled by the voice of quiet, shy Riley coming from downstairs. Of all his years, Zarc had never heard Riley speak like that before and by the look on the other girls' faces, they feel the same way.

This sends Zarc into panic mode.

He pushes past them and practically jumps down the whole flight of stairs, racing over to where he had heard Riley shout. She was in the living room, pointing down towards a hallway. Her blue eyes were wide with fear. Declan and Ray were just behind her. Ray had her hands on Riley's shoulders, like she was comforting her while Declan just stood silently beside them.

Although the hallway Riley was pointing down had many doors, only one of them was open. It showed a dark, inky abyss. Zarc squinted his eyes and could just make out a stairwell leading down. The basement.

It was always the basement.

"Uhh...g-guys? Why is...the basement door open?" Celina asked softly, her anger gone.

"...Didn't it have a lock?" Lulu added unhelpfully. Fear strikes through Zarc's heart like a cord and before anyone else could do anything, he is racing down the steps, barely managing to hit the light switch in his rush to get down.

"Yuya?! Yuri?! Yugo?! Yuto?! Are you guys down here?! Boys?!" Zarc calls out. He gets no answer. Fear makes him clumsy and a few boxes fall, but he pushes on. Until he reaches the center.

There, in the middle of the basement were a few items.

4 battery drained Tattletails, all different colors.

4 silver bracelets, each with a different gem stone.

And 1 strange, demonic symbol painted on the floor where the other items rested.

Zarc hears footsteps behind him.

"...That's not red paint..." Declan says quietly.


End file.
